Destination highlights

About the tour

If you love the coast but feel the pull of the mountains too then this tour is for you. You will spend a night in Santander, a lively seaside city with fabulous beaches and even better shops, bars and restaurants.

From here it's on to the fishing port of Llanes with its stunning clifftop walks and charming old quarter. Soto de Luiña is further west and a short drive from Cudillero - a picturesque coastal village with colourful houses. During your drive these last few days you will have seen the mountains in the distance giving you a taste of what's to come in Covadonga - amazing scenery of course but also a famous shrine, beautiful Basilica and stunning glacial lakes.

Then it's back to the seaside and Castro Urdiales, another pretty fishing port with a 13thC castle overlooking the harbour bordered by busy, traditional restaurants.

You can combine any of our car and motorcycle tours, or you can even plan your very own itinerary from scratch using any of our hotels in Spain. Perhaps you just want to add a few nights to one of these tours? Anything is possible - just ask!

Save up to 20% on tours

Limited time offer. Prices shown have not been discounted. Saving applies to the basic holiday cost only. Excludes weekend and seasonal supplements, on board accommodation when travelling to France, vehicle supplements, additional passengers and pets. Cannot be combined with any other offer. New bookings only. Offer ends midnight 28 May 2019. Holiday terms apply.

How to book

Our friendly team is available to assist you with your booking or any questions you may have. Please call us quoting the tour reference.

0330 159 4500

Tour itinerary

Tours can start on any day from any town on the itinerary but must follow the route in either direction. Approximate tour distances are calculated from the first to the last location. Should any location be unavailable we'll advise alternatives.

Where you'll stay

1 night in Santander

1 night in Llanes

1 night in Soto de Luiña

1 night in Covadonga

1 night in Castro Urdiales

If you love the coast but feel the pull of the mountains too then this tour is for you. Here we give some ideas of places to see in and around each of your overnight stops.

Santander

Standing along the north shore of a great bay of stunning natural beauty, Santander is a sophisticated resort with much to offer. King Alfonso XIII began spending his summers here back in the 1900s and the local people gave him the Magdalena peninsula upon which he built a palace which sits in a prime position overlooking the bay.

This is one of the most traditional holiday resorts of northern Spain where many of the Spanish themselves choose to holiday, escaping the more arid inland areas. There is a superb sandy beach, modern leisure amenities and an attractive promenade laid out with flower borders and trees, popular with the locals who stroll along it in their droves in the early evening and at weekends. The city has wonderful restaurants, tapas bars and shops plus a variety of nightlife and entertainment.

Llanes

This is a busy summer holiday location with a choice of dozens of wonderful beaches and coves, the San Pedro clifftop walk (spectacular coastal views), colourful fishing harbour and plenty of seafood restaurants in and around the port. The most popular beach is the one in town, El Sablon, which is great for families with its fine sand and calm water, or for surfing and other watersports the ones at Andrin and Ballota are more suitable.

If you're interested in local culture there are a number of fiestas in Llanes with folk dancing and townspeople in traditional dress.

Soto de Luiña

A pleasant village of terracotta tiled buildings set amongst green hills, Soto de Luiña is a peaceful place to stay, a short drive inland (or about 2k on foot) from a charming little beach. The colourful fishing village of Cudillero is 15 minutes away and is one of the many picturesque places to see along the Asturian coastline. It can become very busy in summer but it's lovely to spend a few hours here and perhaps have lunch or a drink in one of the pavement cafés overlooking the sea.

Heading east along the coast it's worth visiting Gijón - once a small fishing port this is now the largest city in Asturias and as well as being a great cultural centre is also a lively seaside resort with a huge sandy beach which is popular for surfing.

Covadonga

The main attraction here is the Basilica of Santa Maria, which is an inspiring sight when you see your first glimpse of it from the road in its beautiful mountain setting - you can see why this is a stop off point for tourists.
For walkers, not to be missed are routes around the glacial lakes of Covadonga - Enol and Ercina. There is a circular gentle walk of around 5k which allows you to appreciate the stunning peaceful surroundings and breathe in the clear mountain air. In addition there are numerous other walks taking you past little chapels, old sheepfolds and tumbledown shelters used by shepherds in centuries gone by.

9k northwest of Covadonga is another great centre for excursions into the mountains - the ancient town of Cangas de Onís, where there is a distinctive Roman bridge with 5 arches.

Castro Urdiales

Around 45 minutes' drive from Santander and even less from Bilbao, Castro Urdiales on the Bay of Biscay has grown from a little fishing port to a modern seaside town with several lovely beaches attracting lots of holidaymakers in summer. In a picturesque setting with a backdrop of mountains, this was originally a Roman settlement (called Flavióbriga at that time) and there is an archaeological site under the entire town and also examples of cave paintings, such as in the cave of Peña del Cuco, which contains drawings from the Upper Paleolithic period with images of deer, horses and goats. If you happen to be here on the first Friday in July there is the Coso Blanca local fiesta with fireworks.

Over recent years Bilbao has been transformed from an industrial port into a vibrant modern city with plenty to attract tourists. In addition to the famous Guggenheim museum there are impressive buildings, bridges, lovely parks, quaint museums and much more.